Feeling the pitch-black will emanating from Tang Ya, Huo Yuhao, wearing a Tiger Mask, nodded slightly.
As expected.
The kinder and sunnier a person had originally been,
the more extreme and cruel they became after their faith collapsed and they fell into darkness.
Obito had been like that in Naruto, and so was Tang Ya before him.
"Very good, Tang Ya."
"This resolve is precisely what you lacked."
With a flick of his wrist, Huo Yuhao conjured a specially made metal syringe in his palm.
A white liquid flowed within the transparent barrel. Upon closer inspection, it seemed alive, slowly writhing and dividing.
"This is what I promised you."
Huo Yuhao held the syringe out before Tang Ya, his voice low and seductive:
"This is a source substance I extracted from the Seed of the Divine Tree."
"It possesses the power of All-Encompassing Myriad Phenomena, containing immense vitality and devouring power."
"Inject it. If you endure it, it will grant you strength once beyond your imagination and allow you to truly enter the ranks of the strong. But if your will is not firm enough, it will devour you and turn you into a mindless tree."
These were White Zetsu Cells Huo Yuhao had extracted from the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path. Though they were not as overbearing as genuine Hashirama Cells, they were still far beyond what an ordinary Soul Master's body could endure.
Tang Ya stared fixedly at the syringe.
In the past, she might have hesitated. She might have been afraid.
But after learning "the truth of the world" and experiencing the collapse of her faith, all that remained in her heart was a desire for power.
Her Martial Soul was Blue Silver Grass, but it was no ordinary Blue Silver Grass. It was Dark Blue Silver Grass, possessing a devouring attribute.
To avoid being branded an Evil Soul Master by the academy, for the sake of the so-called righteous path...
I had always suppressed my Martial Soul's true nature. I didn't dare devour life; I only dared secretly absorb some energy from plants.
And what did that get me?
It left my cultivation stagnant. I became one of the weakest in Shrek Academy's Outer Court, without even the qualification to protect the Tang Sect!
To hell with the righteous path!
To hell with Evil Soul Masters!
In this false world, only power is real!
"This junior, Tang Ya..."
Tang Ya tremblingly reached out with both hands and accepted the cold syringe, her gaze becoming firmer than ever.
"Thanks, Ancestor, for granting me this opportunity!"
Without the slightest hesitation.
Squelch!
The sharp needle plunged viciously into a vein in her right arm.
"Urgh... Aaaahhh!!"
In barely two seconds, Tang Ya let out a miserable scream.
It was no ordinary pain.
It felt as though tens of thousands of tree roots were growing madly within her blood vessels, seeking to burst her apart, tear her to pieces, and use her as nourishment.
Then, a horrifying mutation began in her right arm.
Her skin grew rough and hardened, taking on the grain of wood.
Several tender green shoots even pierced through her skin and grew out.
The Wood Release power within the White Zetsu Cells was trying to seize control and assimilate its host!
"Teacher Xiao Ya! Hang in there!"
The Huo Yuhao clone at the side shouted at the right moment, his voice filled with anxiety and encouragement:
"Don't lose to it! Suppress it with your will! Once you get through this, the world of the strong will be waiting for you!"
Tang Ya dropped to one knee, cold sweat mixed with blood dripping to the ground.
Her consciousness began to blur.
Amid the extreme agony, countless scenes flashed through her mind like a revolving lantern.
Her parents' doting smiles, the joy of running across the Tang Sect's grasslands as a child...
Then the scene changed.
It was that bloody, rain-soaked night.
Members of the Iron Blood Sect had stormed into her home. Her parents lay in pools of blood, their eyes full of despair...
And those lofty elders of Shrek Academy, Beibei's evasive words and shifty gaze, along with the "false world" controlled by others that the Masked Man had shown her.
No... I can't die here!
I haven't avenged them yet!
I haven't made those hypocrites pay the price!
I will shatter this... false world!!
"Get... back inside!!"
Tang Ya let out a hoarse roar.
In that instant, the resentment and obsession within her transformed into the most powerful spiritual force.
Her Dark Blue Silver Grass Martial Soul manifested on its own. The vines, originally deep blue, had turned black as ink.
They frantically wound around Tang Ya, engaging in a brutal battle and fusion with the rampaging Wood Release power.
Crack!
The skin on Tang Ya's back split open, and a thick branch burst out. Yet under the suppression of her astonishing willpower, it did not continue growing wildly. Instead, it rapidly shrank back and merged into her body once more.
At last.
The mutation stopped.
Tang Ya collapsed to the ground, gasping for breath.
Yet the aura around her had undergone an earth-shaking transformation.
The weakness once belonging to Blue Silver Grass had vanished completely.
In its place was a terrifying aura of resilience, heaviness, and predatory intent.
"It worked..."
Huo Yuhao watched the scene before him, a hint of satisfaction flashing through his eyes.
Tang Ya slowly rose to her feet.
She raised her right hand, and with a thought,
Rumble!
The ground of the Kamui Dimension trembled.
No longer were they thin, fragile vines.
A monstrous tree as thick as a thigh, pitch-black from root to crown and covered in strange red patterns, burst from the ground behind her.
Its branches spread wide. Every leaf was lined with fine serrations and emitted devouring fluctuations.
This was a brand-new Martial Soul combining the traits of White Zetsu Cells and Dark Blue Silver Grass.
Tang Ya stroked the rough trunk, sensing the surging power within her.
"Soul Power... Rank 34."
"Two ranks at once..."
She looked at her Martial Soul, an enchanting smile curling across her lips:
"My Martial Soul should now be called... the Dark Blue Silver Tree."
Not only had her Soul Power increased, but more importantly, her level of life had leaped forward.
She could sense that if she wished, this tree could instantly drain the life force from a Soul Master of the same rank.
"Very good."
Huo Yuhao stood with his hands behind his back and gave a calm assessment:
"This power suits you well. Moreover, it possesses exceptionally strong camouflage abilities."
"This Dark Blue Silver Tree has two forms. If you wish, it can revert to the appearance of ordinary Blue Silver Grass at any time, and its aura will become completely harmless."
"Before those old fools at Shrek, as long as you do not actively reveal its devouring ability, no one will discover the truth of your Martial Soul."
That was the way of survival of the Root.
It remained buried deep beneath the earth in ordinary times, then broke through the soil at the crucial moment and strangled everything.
Upon hearing this, Tang Ya felt completely reassured.
She recalled her Martial Soul and returned to the appearance of a seemingly frail young woman, but the darkness in the depths of her eyes could never be erased again.
She bowed deeply toward Huo Yuhao on the platform, her tone devout and fervent:
"Thank you, Ancestor, for granting me a new life!"
"Tang Ya will certainly carry out your will."
"I will make the Root of the Divine Tree spread through every corner of Douluo Continent!"
This is my Will of the Root!
This is how I do things!